Tell Congress: Protect The Air We Breathe

Big corporate polluters are pressuring Congress to weaken the Clean Air Act – a law that prevents tens of thousands of asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes and premature deaths caused by air pollution each year.

The House of Representatives responded by passing a series of bills designed to block the cleanup of mercury and other toxics from power plants and industrial facilities, to block safeguards that protect people from out-of-state pollution, and to put economists in charge of updating pollution standards instead of health scientists.

American’s can’t take a break from breathing and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shouldn’t take a break from protecting our air.

Take action today. Tell Congress to protect the air we breathe by opposing any effort to weaken clean air protections or to impede the EPA's ability to update air pollution standards.

Letter to

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

I am writing today to ask you to oppose any efforts to weaken clean air protections or efforts that impede the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ability to update air pollution standards.

Our nation depends on the Clean Air Act for air that is healthy and safe to breathe. The law prevents tens of thousands of asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes and even premature deaths caused by air pollution each year.

Yet, the House of Representatives has passed a series of bills designed to block the cleanup of mercury and other toxics from power plants and industrial facilities, to block rules that protect people from out-of-state pollution, and to put economists in charge of updating pollution standards instead of health scientists.

As one of your constituents, I am deeply troubled by this dangerous assault on common-sense health protections. American’s can’t take a break from breathing and EPA scientists shouldn’t be forced to halt their responsibility to protect our air.

Eliminating these protections would cost Americans dearly, both in dollars and in lives. The EPA estimates the air quality improvements under the Clean Air Act will save nearly $2 trillion by 2020 and prevent at least 230,000 deaths annually.

Americans are in favor of protective pollution limits, and aren't asking Congress to change the law. A recent bi-partisan survey showed that more than 70 percent of voters do not want Congress to stop EPA from setting stricter pollution limits and 66 percent of voters would prefer that EPA set pollution standards, not Congress.

The Clean Air Act helps safeguard all Americans from air pollution. We have these protections because for more than 40 years Congressional leaders of all parties worked together to defend the lives and health of their constituents. I hope you will continue in that tradition and look forward to your response.